"Havisham": An Essay by Gabrielle Reid for Black History Month - Atwood Magazine

      In celebration of Black History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to contribute a series of essays exploring themes of identity, music, culture, and inclusion, among other topics.

      •• •• •• ••

      Today, recording artist and producer virgogabrielle (Gabrielle Reid) shares her essay titled ‘Havisham: How the Charles Dickens Character Inspired a Track,’ as part of Atwood Magazine’s Black History Month initiative!

      Under her producer alias "beatsbyvirgo," virgogabrielle translates her inner emotions into music, often weaving in literary and philosophical themes into her work. Her artistic influences include house, drum & bass, and hip hop. When not creating for herself, she enjoys producing beats for others, aiming to encourage collaboration.

      Explore virgogabrielle’s essay below, and check out her song “HAVISHAM” along with other tracks available on music streaming platforms!

      •• ••

      •• ••

      How the Character of Charles Dickens Inspired a Track

      by virgogabrielle (aka Gabrielle Reid)

      I recall reading Charles Dickens' Great Expectations in school, quickly becoming enamored with the character of Miss Havisham.

      She embodies the archetype of a wronged woman – after her fiancé leaves her on their wedding day, she remains in a time warp, preserving everything in its original state. She dons the same wedding dress into her later years, day after day, surrounded by a decaying cake and fading decor that once symbolized a sacred bond.

      Her inability to move forward has always resonated with me deeply, as it reflects all that I wish to avoid in my own life. She never experienced love again and chose bitterness over grace.

      Sometimes, I observe my own habits and attachments and see parts of Miss Havisham in myself. Letting go proves challenging for me, and I recognize that if I do not actively work on detaching, we could easily become intertwined.

      Thus, I decided to create a track inspired by this.

      Around the time I composed "Havisham," I had begun expressing my feelings through instrumentation rather than lyrics. Recently inspired by drum & bass, I felt compelled to explore this genre. One evening, while working on musical ideas with the Great Expectations film playing in the background, I thought – why not sample this? I took notable quotes from my favorite scene and edited them together to reflect my own thoughts:

      “You see I’m tired. Of men and women. Sometimes I have sick fantasies about what I want. Look at what remains of me.”

      virgogabrielle © gabbyshesdope

      virgogabrielle © gabbyshesdope

      As everything fell into place, I opted for a beat switch mid-track while retaining the same vocal phrases.

      To me, this signifies a transition from victim to villain – the same situation could either keep me ensnared in perpetual bitterness or inspire me to create transformative opportunities for myself in this lifetime. I illustrated this through a wardrobe change in the visual, filmed by @baegod (who brilliantly captured the energy through her creative vision), transitioning from a white dress to a black one. While I may embrace my villainous side at times, I prefer to accept it rather than define my identity around what was lost. This distinction is what sets Miss Havisham and me apart.

      Releasing “Havisham” has marked the beginning of my era as a producer, and I am eager to continue merging the realms of literature, film, and music in my future projects.

      You can view the Havisham visual here and listen to the track on all streaming services. – Farrah Fawx

      •• ••

      :: connect with virgogabrielle here ::

      •• ••

      •• •• •• ••

      Follow virgogabrielle on

      Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook

      Discover fresh music on Atwood Magazine

      📸 © @gabbyshesdope

      :: Stream virgogabrielle ::